Delving Into Zen Meditation

Zazen is known as the art of Zen meditation. It works by helping a person focus on their inner center, studying themselves from within. Note these important points about the art, as well.

1) While Buddha was said to be in the process of attaining enlightenment, he sat in the stillness of meditation. In the present time, Zen practitioners meditate in the same seated position of stillness.

2) Zen meditation has been practiced for the past 2500 years and has been handed down from one generation to the next. It traces its origins in India, then traveled on to China, Japan, the rest of Asia, and finally to the West.

3) The craft is heavily influenced by the Japanese technique of singular focus on a certain thought or particular object. It is a type of meditation more commonly attributed to Buddhist monks who practice Zen meditations daily. Because of this, Zen Buddhists are popularly known as, "Meditation Buddhists."

4) This craft can be practiced on a daily basis for any length of time, although experts recommend an average of five minutes spent on meditation each day for a person to benefit from all the advantages that this can bring. Apart from helping get rid of stress, this also eases away tensions caused by all the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It is a very simple practice to incorporate into one's daily activities and the meditation techniques are very easy to follow.

5) As with other types of meditation, all the benefits that are derived from Zen will need patience and persistence to reap. While most people have a tendency to see their body, breath and mind as separate entities, Zen seeks to unite all three into one single unit.

6) In this type of meditation, the focus starts with the position of a person's body. The body is supposed to lean towards a particular pattern in order to commune with the world as well as communicate with a person's inner self. The position of a person's body ultimately affects the way they breath, and eventually towards the way the mind thinks.

7) Most Zen experts recommend the sitting position. With the use of a small pillow called a Zafu which serves to elevate the back, the sitting position allows a person's knees to come into contact with the ground. A person sitting on a pillow with their knees touching the ground forms a tripod alignment which provides for a 360-degree angle of stability for the body.

8) Through closing one's mind to all thoughts and images, a person's breathing rate gradually slows and becomes shallow, and the heart rate slows down as well. Little by little, a person can reach a deep state of reflective meditation.

9) Creating a synergy of body, soul and mind, this meditation connects all the aspects of the body and strengthens them as a whole. This also helps a person deal with everyday stress and the chaos of the world surrounding them. Eventually, a person begins to focus only on the present, and ceases to fret about the past or worry about the future.